Turkish President Erdogan Backs Iran’s Right to Self-Defense Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday affirmed that Iran has the “legitimate” right to defend itself amid Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign, which has now entered its sixth day.
Describing Iran’s response as natural and lawful, Erdogan condemned Israel’s actions as “thuggery and state terrorism.” This comes a day after he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the biggest threat to the security of the region.”
“These attacks took place while Iranian nuclear negotiations were ongoing,” Erdogan noted. “Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons and disregards international rules, did not wait for the talks to conclude but carried out a terrorist act regardless.”
According to Iranian officials, at least 224 people have died in Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, while Iranian attacks on Israel have resulted in at least 24 deaths and hundreds of injuries, according to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office.
Erdogan assured that Turkey is monitoring Israel’s strikes on Iran closely. “All our institutions are on high alert regarding the potential impact of these attacks on Turkey,” he said. “We are preparing for every possible scenario. No one should dare to test us.”
Earlier this week, Erdogan instructed Turkey’s defense industry to boost production of medium and long-range missiles to strengthen the country’s deterrence capabilities in light of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
